Three Quakers Named Second Team All-Mideast Region by ABCA

GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Seniors Howie Smith, Eric Elkus, and Nate Lynch earned Second Team All-Mideast Region honors as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on Tuesday.

Smith earned Second Team All-Mideast Region honors on the heels of being named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Most Outstanding Pitcher as well as a spot on the Third Team All-Mideast Region by D3Baseball.com. He set a single season program record in innings pitched (94.1) while also boasting a 9-3 record with a 2.48 ERA and five complete games. Smith also earned the Quakers their first NCAA Tournament victory, shutting down the nation's best offensive team to two runs in a 6-2 triumph over the College of Wooster.

The Hamilton, Ohio, native finishes his Earlham career first in program history in wins (23), second in innings pitched (256.0), and third in strikeouts (196).

Lynch was named the HCAC's Most Valuable Player as well as Third Team All-Mideast Region by D3baseball.com after leading the conference in batting average (.403) and stolen bases (47). He is the nation's leader in total stolen bases and is second in stolen bases per game. Lynch led Earlham in average and stolen bases while driving in 34 runs on 73 hits at the top of the Quakers' lineup this season.

The Oxford, Ohio, native leaves the program with the most career hits (192), runs (138), and stolen bases (87) in Earlham history.

Elkus was a First Team All-HCAC honoree after leading the conference in home runs (10) and RBIs (59). He also currently sits No. 2 in all of Division III in RBIs. Elkus led the Earlham offense in both categories as well as hitting 17 doubles with a .337 batting average.

The Edgewood, Kentucky, native leaves the program as the career leading in home runs (26) and RBIs (138).

The Quakers finished the 2017 season with the most wins (30) in program history. Earlham won the HCAC regular season and tournament title for the first time in program history as well as advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament, also for the first time.